Views on Clogau jewellery, please?

[historymystery]

Hi everyone, seeing a couple of comments about Clogau jewellery on another thread, reminded me that I've been wanting to ask people's views/experience of buying items from this range. I do like some of the designs and have watched a couple of shows on Q in the past, but I tend to think it's a lot of money for not a lot, if you know what I mean. Presumably it sells on Q. What do others think?

 

[boffy]

i like clogau. i have one of the anniversary rings with a diamond. it was reduced from £600 and q had it for £260 on easy pays so i was polite and bought it. i also have some flower earrings also in the yellow and rose gold. my daughter has some nice pieces in rose gold and silver but they are very old and much chunkier than the newer silver bits.

i like this brand and it is expensive but they are well made and the ring is solid but hardly £600 worth. look on e bay there is a good market but its not a cheap brand.

 

[Vienna]

Like many things it isn`t as well made as it used to be and like a lot of brands it has moved into the silver jewellery market as well as gold. If you buy because you like something then to me there`s cheaper/better alternatives elsewhere but if you buy because you LOVE something then it`s meant to be. My daughter in law is Welsh and I offered to buy her a piece of Clogau for a special birthday. I browsed the range but thought it was overpriced for nothing special but I was quite happy to spend the money on her. As it was, she refused point blank, said it was nothing but a con with the " touch of rare Welsh gold thing" and she chose a pair of quarter carat diamond studs set in yellow gold instead which were a similar price point. She has a real Welsh gold wedding ring which is around 100 years old but it was bought secondhand and she has a real Welsh gold chain and signet ring, also bought secondhand and all 3 items are solid, heavy, the real Welsh gold and many years old.
There are other brands selling items of a similar style and also supposedly containing a small amount of Welsh gold, here`s one but tbh If t`s Welsh god you fancy, then your best bet are pawn shops and secondhand jewellery shops. http://www.welshgoldshop.com/index.php/about-welsh-gold.html

 

[Bea Frugal]

A local jewellers has a clogau cabinet and I was keen to check it out but found it uninspiring. Everything looked rather dull. There were no diamond pieces so maybe qvc stock the pick of the range. They certainly show the intricate details to best advantage on tv and it looks attractive but I would only want 18ct for what they charge. I prefer clean lines though so maybe I'm biased.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

I like some of the pieces but not all. It is a higher price than some other ranges but I buy pieces that I love. I think their silver pieces are fab. I love the mix of silver and rose gold. But I'm also a fan, an owner of, Links of London and Pandora both of which are often criticised for being overpriced. I have no links to Wales though so that's not a plus point to me but the Rose gold most certainly is.

 

[Pick-a-Lily]

I think it is beautiful, particularly the more intricate Art Nouveau style pieces, but it is expensive. I don't think there's actually much Welsh gold in it, but it's a nice touch.

 

[shopperholic]

The prices they charge for a touch (and it is a touch) of gold jewellery made in China is outrageous. You can get more gold and diamonds on the high street for your money, and much, much, much more if you buy second hand.

 

[Turandot]

I like the idea of Welsh gold because I'm a great believer in buying British.Im just doubtful that there's a great deal of actual Welsh gold in the items.

 

[boffy]

made in china which is a bit greedy as its cheaper to make there and the prices are still high. but i really enjoy wearing my gold clogau and the ring is very heavy and the vines and acorns are beautifully done. my earrings are beautiful to. rose gold middle with yellow gold petals. they are like perfect little sculptures

 

[donna255]

I like the idea of Welsh gold because I'm a great believer in buying British.Im just doubtful that there's a great deal of actual Welsh gold in the items.

The range is made in China, so a speck of Welsh gold would be the max.

 

[Brissles]

When this brand was first aired, I struggled to realise which was the 'Welsh gold' bit ! as all the pieces were in 9 /18 ct gold. As the jewellery was designed with rose gold decoration, I assumed that was the "welsh' bit. I now know that this isn't /wasn't the case, and despite it being marketed as Welsh, the company are very reticent at claiming exactly how much gold is in each piece. A speck might be true enough, as I believe the mining of gold in Wales stopped some years ago, and I thought the remaining genuine gold is reserved for the wedding rings of Royalty.

 

[Vienna]

If anybody likes to buy handmade jewellery which is made here in the UK then browse this little site. They do some lovely sterling silver and also aluminium fashion jewellery too and their prices are really good. If you click on the collections tab it will list their various collections.
http://www.harbrondesign.com/about_us.html

 

[Hippygirl]

I have four pairs of Clogau earrings and a bracelet and hubby has a plain gold Clogau wedding band. None were bought from QVC though and were bought a few years ago when gold was much cheaper. Most of the items on QVC lately are mainly silver and have only a touch of gold (let alone Welsh gold) but I don't wear silver so have not bought anything recently. The pieces I have are excellent quality and the designs are really good and unusual.

 

[Tiddlywinks]

From the Clogau website (if you dig down through the menus a bit):

Why do you only include a small amount of Welsh gold?

Gold mining no longer takes place in Wales, making Welsh gold one of the rarest golds in the world. For this reason, we can only include a small amount of this exclusive gold in each piece. This allows our jewellery to be not only unique but also affordable to those who wish to own a piece of Welsh and Royal history of their own. It also ensures the longevity of our supplies.


How much Welsh gold is in each piece?

We do not state the % content for a number of reasons. Firstly, the precise Welsh gold content varies with the caratage of the gold in the piece. Also, we do not wish to be obliged to a fixed % in case we are forced to reduce it in the future due to depleting stocks.


Where Clogau jewellery is handcrafted

Originally, all Clogau jewellery was manufactured in North Wales, but in 2005 the decision was made to move production overseas in an attempt to fulfill customer demands for shorter manufacturing and delivery times, and to sustain the growth of the brand.


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So, they go to great lengths to skirt around the fact that the items are now made in China and contain a just a whiff of Wales.

But, as with everything, if you like the design then it's just deciding if your want it (without the influence of the dubious fairy tale background story).

 

[historymystery]

Thanks very much, everyone, for taking the time to post, I much appreciate your time in doing so, and hearing your views. A lot of my reservations were confirmed by what was said, and I guess it comes down to the point someone's already made very well : if you love a particular piece, then it was meant to be. I haven't loved anything enough to buy it as yet! I was quite amazed to learn that the range is made in China - this never occurred to me at all, they certainly give you the impression on TV that it's British-made.

 

[historymystery]

shopperholic, yes, secondhand is the way to go if you want value. I know some people are sniffy about it (group of us were talking about it one day and a friend spluttered and recoiled with horror at the very thought, nearly passed out, so the rest of us came to the conclusion we are a rough and ready lot, made us feel like Fagin in his den in "Oliver", sorting through the old clothes!!!). PS: thanks v. much for your message - I answered yes, of course, but you know me and technology, so HOPE I've done it right - Bill Gates, eat your heart out (not)!!

The prices they charge for a touch (and it is a touch) of gold jewellery made in China is outrageous. You can get more gold and diamonds on the high street for your money, and much, much, much more if you buy second hand.

 

[shopperholic]

The thing is though H, if you see something you like and you want it then buy it, you can't put a price on happiness.

 

[shopperholic]

shopperholic, yes, secondhand is the way to go if you want value. I know some people are sniffy about it (group of us were talking about it one day and a friend spluttered and recoiled with horror at the very thought, nearly passed out, so the rest of us came to the conclusion we are a rough and ready lot, made us feel like Fagin in his den in "Oliver", sorting through the old clothes!!!). PS: thanks v. much for your message - I answered yes, of course, but you know me and technology, so HOPE I've done it right - Bill Gates, eat your heart out (not)!!

I used to be a jewellery snob till I was outside Miltons years ago and saw a gorgeous ring, the man behind the counter showed me the new one and the "second hand" one, the only difference was about £300 so obviously I went for the second hand one. The fella explained it this way, he said if you bought bought two identical rings one new for £500 and second hand one £200 and went to sell them on for say £100, then the new one I've lost £400 and the second hand I've lost £100 because the new buyer won't care if one was brand new, they both become second hand to the buyer.......if that makes sense. And yes it's ok, I'm dumb at computers but yay! We figured it out. :clapping:

 

[historymystery]

Thanks, Vienna. Must say I do prefer to buy UK made stuff in the jewellery and clothes lines if I can.

If anybody likes to buy handmade jewellery which is made here in the UK then browse this little site. They do some lovely sterling silver and also aluminium fashion jewellery too and their prices are really good. If you click on the collections tab it will list their various collections.
http://www.harbrondesign.com/about_us.html

 

[Bettyboo]

It's a bit of a con in my opinion as there's hardly any Welsh gold in the pieces and as someone else said when I saw it in a Jewellers shop it looked very dull and insignificant and of course the price is ridiculously high for what you get.